Hudson Regional Health has notified the New Jersey Department of Health that it intends to suspend emergency services at Heights University Hospital in Jersey City, effective Saturday, February 28. The closure would end the final operating unit at the 153-year-old facility, formerly known as Christ Hospital, which has served Jersey City since 1872.
According to the Health Professionals & Allied Employees union, nurses were informed the hospital would close for good on Saturday at 7 p.m.
- Hudson Regional Health plans to suspend emergency services at Heights University Hospital on February 28, closing the final operating unit at the 153-year-old Jersey City facility.
- Despite investing over $100 million since acquiring the hospital in April, the system reported a $74 million loss last year and projects a $30 million loss for the emergency department this year.
- Mayor James Solomon, state Sen. Angela McKnight and Jersey City councilmembers are urging state intervention, warning the closure will reduce access to emergency care and strain nearby hospitals.
Financial Losses and Funding Cuts
Hudson Regional Health acquired the hospital out of bankruptcy from CarePoint Health last year, taking over the facilities in April. In November 2025, the system ended other acute care services but committed to maintaining a standalone 24/7 emergency department. That emergency room is now slated to shut down.
Hospital spokesperson Vijay Chaudhuri said leadership informed the Department of Health on Wednesday night of its intention to suspend services. He said Hudson Regional Health and its chairman, Yan Moshe, have invested over $100 million into Heights University Hospital since the acquisition. The investment included rebuilding service lines, enacting labor agreements, recruiting physicians, and strengthening clinical programs.
Despite that spending, the hospital lost $74 million last year. The emergency department alone is projected to lose $30 million this year. Chaudhuri attributed the losses to federal funding cuts under the Trump administration, drastic Medicaid reductions tied to the federal One Big Beautiful Bill, a roughly 50% cut in state Charity Care funding, rising numbers of uninsured patients, and persistently low utilization of the emergency department.
He said continued losses threatened patient care at Hudson Regional Health’s other facilities in Secaucus, Bayonne, and Hoboken, including Hudson Regional Hospital at Secaucus University Hospital, Bayonne University Hospital, and Hoboken University Medical Center.
“Combined with a variety of challenges including a very low utilization of the Emergency Department, lack of sufficient funding from the State, and in an effort to prevent further multi-million dollar losses from jeopardizing care in Secaucus, Bayonne and Hoboken, leadership last night informed the New Jersey Department of Health of its intention to suspend services as of Saturday, February 28,” Chaudhuri said.
Mayor and State Officials Respond
Jersey City Mayor James Solomon said the hospital informed his administration earlier in the day of its plan to close the emergency department.
“Earlier today, Hudson Regional Hospital informed the administration that it intended to close the Emergency Department at Christ Hospital,” Solomon said. “This is unacceptable, especially since just a year ago, their CEO said that the future is bright for patients in the Heights. I will use all my power to reverse this decision.”
Solomon said the city is in active conversations with Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the New Jersey Department of Health, the state legislative delegation, and Hudson Regional Health regarding options to preserve access to health care in the Heights, including emergency injunctions and transferring the license.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health did not immediately return an email seeking comment, and the governor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
State Sen. Angela McKnight, D-31st District, said eliminating emergency services would leave thousands of residents with fewer options for life-saving care. She said Hudson Regional Health announced the closure three days before emergency department operations are set to cease and that patients, families and healthcare workers were given virtually no time to prepare.
Council and Union Reaction
Jersey City Councilmembers Joel Brooks, Thomas Zuppa, and Jake Ephros issued a joint statement asserting that the closure does not have New Jersey Department of Health approval. They said the decision will hit hardest in neighborhoods facing barriers to care, including low-income families, seniors, people with disabilities, residents with chronic conditions and immigrants and mixed-status families who may delay seeking treatment until a situation becomes dire. They also said the closure will strain first responders and neighboring hospitals across Hudson County as patient volume and transport times rise.
HPAE President Debbie White urged the Department of Health, the governor and the attorney general to intervene. She said the employer has repeatedly violated laws and that penalties have failed to dissuade further illegal action, adding that union members and their patients need Gov. Sherrill to take action to stop the closure.
Legal and Development Disputes
In September, the New Jersey Department of Health warned that Hudson Regional Health cannot simply close a hospital overnight. The following month, then-Ward E Councilman James Solomon said Hudson Regional Health would tear down the hospital in favor of luxury development, a claim the company denied at the time.
In November, Hudson Regional Health announced plans to close Heights University Hospital while keeping the emergency department open temporarily. The same month, Yan Moshe received approval from the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority to operate a cannabis grow facility at the former M9NJ building in Secaucus, though the approval did not come to light until recently.
Hudson Regional Health also had plans to redevelop the Jersey City property for residential use. In December, the Jersey City Council unanimously passed a zoning ordinance blocking such projects at the site. Earlier this year, according to Jersey Digs, the hospital’s owners sued the city over that ordinance.
Chaudhuri said Hudson Regional Health is evaluating the feasibility of keeping the Heights emergency department open for the immediate future following a request from Mayor Solomon and other Jersey City elected officials, with discussions underway with the Department of Health and stakeholders.
